Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for fiberglass pool installers.
Deposits, a shell that ships on a truck and gets set in a single day, crane rental, and the backfill and decking that finish the job. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $20,500. The Leisure Pools shell and freight for the Braxton job went in as materials for that job, not general supplies.
- Deposit, Braxton fiberglass poolJob deposits
- Final payment, Odell poolFinal payments
- Leisure Pools shell and freightShell and freight
- Crane rental, set dayCrane and set-day equipment
- Decking and coping orderDecking materials
Why your books are different
Fiberglass pool books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and material bills. Your business orders a shell that ships across the country and gets set in a single day with a crane, then spends weeks on backfill, plumbing, and decking. When the books blend a one-day set with the weeks of finish work around it, you cannot tell what either part actually cost.
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1
The shell and freight cost gets buried in general materials
A fiberglass shell and the freight to ship it can be the single biggest line item on the job, but if it is logged the same as decking pavers or backfill gravel, the owner cannot see how much of the price is shell versus finish work.
What we doKeeps shell and freight costs on their own line against the job, so the two biggest cost categories are both visible on their own. -
2
Crane day cost looks like a routine equipment bill
A crane rented for the day the shell is set costs real money and only happens once per job, but if it is filed the same as a weekly excavator rental across several jobs, the owner cannot see the true one-time cost of the set.
What we doTags crane rental to the job it served, so the set-day cost is visible against that job's price. -
3
A deposit looks like profit before the shell even ships
A shell can take four to eight weeks to arrive after the deposit is collected, so the deposit sits as income on the books long before a crane ever shows up.
What we doTracks the deposit against its job and recognizes the income as the work gets done, so a long freight wait does not distort the month. -
4
Backfill and decking weeks get lost after the exciting part is done
The set day gets all the attention, but the weeks of plumbing, backfill, and decking that follow are where a lot of the labor cost sits, and if that work is not tracked against the job, margin looks better on paper than it really is.
What we doKeeps backfill, plumbing, and decking labor tagged to the job through to the final walkthrough, so the full cost of the job is counted, not just the dramatic part.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a fiberglass pool installer.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Job depositsCollected at contract signing before the shell is ordered, tracked against the job.
- Progress drawsPayments collected at shell delivery and set-day milestones.
- Final paymentsPayment collected once decking and equipment are complete.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
- Change ordersAdded decking, lighting, or a larger equipment pad billed separately.
Money out
- Shell and freightLeisure Pools or similar shells and the freight to ship them.
- Crane and set-day equipmentCrane rental for the day the shell is placed.
- Decking materialsPavers, concrete, or coping around the finished pool.
- Plumbing and electrical subsLicensed trades for pump, filter, and equipment hookup.
- Backfill and excavationExcavation, gravel backfill, and grading around the shell.
- Lead fees and marketingHouzz, Angi, and Google local services ads.
- Financing and card feesWhat the lender or Square kept before you got paid.
What we watch for you
- Shell cost share
Shell and freight against money in, so pricing keeps up with manufacturer and shipping costs.
- Crane day cost
What the set day actually cost across recent jobs, so it stays priced right in every bid.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for shells not yet shipped, so a long freight wait does not look like a loss.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things fiberglass pool installers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No. I booked it as a change order on the same job, so the added scope and what it cost are both visible.
The Odell pool's final payment closed out this month, and its shell shipped back in March. This is the payoff on a job that started weeks ago.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a fiberglass pool business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A deposit counted before the shell ships, crane rental untied from the job that needed it, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsAn owned trailer, excavator, or shop equipment bought for the business can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a plumber or crane operator, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Self-employment taxAn owner not on payroll pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on profit, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions fiberglass pool installers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Crane and excavator rental
- Backfill gravel and grading
- Truck and trailer fuel
- Houzz and Angi lead fees
- Permit application fees
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the truck
- Phone and tablet for job sites
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Job photo software
- Truck wraps and yard signs
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A fiberglass pool installer's year, kept every month.
Deposits and shell orders start early in the year so set days can run through the busy months. Your taxes come on a schedule either way. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed as shell orders for the season pick up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how shell and crane costs compared to what you priced.
- October
Before the season slows
A look at any equipment worth buying before winter, and anything worth doing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for fiberglass pool installers. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions fiberglass pool installers ask first.
Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies?
Yes. He books the full job as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
I run scheduling in Buildertrend. Do I have to change how I work?
No. Keep running jobs the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit or payout is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do I write off crane rental as a job cost or an equipment purchase?
Crane rental is usually a straight cost against the job. Equipment you actually own, like an excavator, can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Gus tags each correctly and the accountant checks it.
My books are behind from last season. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
How does Gus handle the wait between deposit and shell delivery?
He tracks the deposit against its job and only counts income as the work gets done, so a long freight wait does not make an early month look worse than it is.
Do you handle sales tax on the shell and materials I buy?
No. Sales tax on materials and contracts varies by state and Gus does not file it. He keeps your books clean so whoever files your sales tax has accurate numbers to work from.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever